Fitting aid

ABSTRACT

This invention is concerned with the field of sewing and more specifically relates to methods and devices for enabling women to properly fit commercial patterns without the use of tape measures or calculations.

United States Patent 1 1 3,685,155 Oblander [4 1 Aug. 22, 1972 [54] FITTING AID 2,187,087 1/1940 ..33/137 Inventor: R oblander, La Grange Park, ShleldS et a] [73] Assignee: Sew Fit Co., La Grange Park, Ill. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 12" A 24 9 0 549,671 10/1956 Belgium ..33/137 1 804,870 4/1936 France ..33/137 [21] Appl. No.1 66,219

US. Cl ..33/11, 33/137 R, 116/114 Primary Examiner-Leonard Forman Assistant Examineb charles E. Phillips [52] 51 Int. Cl. ..A4lh 1/02 W Mark [58] Fleld of Search ..l 16/1 14; 33/2, l7, gag/113779, [57] ABSTRACT This invention is concemed with the field of sewing References Cited and more specifically relates to methods and devices for enabling women to properly fit commercial pat- UNITED STATES PATENTS terns without the use of tape measures or calculations.

2,575,343 I 1/1951 Heiman ..33/2 R 9 Clains, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED M1822 I972 SHEET 1 [IF 2 FITTING AID SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of methods and devices for aiding a person, for example a woman, in fitting a standard commercial pattern, for example, a dress pattern for her own particular dimensions.

A primary object is a method of checking actual human dimensions and comparing them to the dimensions of a standard pattern.

Another object is a device in the form of a fitting aid which enables a person to see how close her own dimensions are to a standard pattern.

Another object is a kit for making a fitting aid of the above type which enables a person to prepare the fitting aid to her own dimensions.

Another object is a method of checking the actual human dimensions against a standard commercial clothes pattern to determine how close the pattern is to the person involved.

Another object is a method of checking a pattern by using the fitting aid before cutting any material.

Another object is a methodof checking a pattern which does not require the use of any math because the body areas are prefigured.

Another object is a method of the above type which has the advantage that you will know if the pattern is too large or too small before you cut material.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the ensuing specification and drawings.

' BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the fitting aid prior to assembly; I

FIG. 2 is a perspective of a figure, in this case a woman, using the fitting aid;

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the fully assembled fitting aid; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one step in the method.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT It has been standard practice for women to buy patterns and to make their own clothes for years. Commercial patterns are manufactured from standards,but it is a rare woman that exactly matches those standards. For years, women have encountered difficulty in adjusting either the pattern or the resulting garment to fit their own particular dimensions. Whereas a woman may fit standard dimensions of the commercial pattern in most areas, i.e., hip, waist, etc. there is always one where her proportions dont correspond to the standard dimensions of the pattern. In all probability she is too large in one dimension or another. The. present invention enables a woman to check her own personal dimensions quite accurately against the standard dimensions of a commercial pattern and to make suitable adjustments so that the resulting garment she makes will fit her quite accurately.

The invention involves the use and creation of a socalled' fitting aid which takes the form of a tape with areas to be applied along it, each area representing a particular dimension that a woman will want to check.

In FIG. 1, an elongated tape is indicated, generally at 10, with what I shall call a flat ring 12 at one end. The

ring is of the type that when the tape is slipped back through it, the tape will curl freely around the free side of the ring without distortion. Alongside the tape a plurality of areas are shown in FIG. 1 which may take the form of multicolored attachable adhesive backed tabs or stickers. In FIG. 1 the nonadhesive side is facing the observer and the reverse side may be considered to be adhesive. The areas may come attached edge-to-edge in the form of a long strip 14 separated by scored or perforated lines 16 so that they may be separated. Each area preferably has imprinted thereon indicia relating it ticular color involved and what it signifies. For example, the center might be blue, the problem areas'22 might be yellow, the trouble areas 24 might be red, although any suitable colors or combinations thereof may be used.

It is preferred that when the stickers are initially supplied, the adhesive rear surfaces are covered with a removable transparent paper or the like which will prevent the adhesive surfaces from adhering to related objects or sticking together, but, when removed, will allow the stickers to be applied to either the front or back of the tape 10.

The fabric of the tape itself could be the same on both sides and could be such that when the tape is wrapped around the figure of the individual, it will not slip easily off of the curves of the figure.

The manner of assembly and use is as follows:

After purchasing a kit which would include the tape 10 and a set of stickers, either together or separated, the woman would apply the tape about her figure at a particular area, for example, the hips, as shown in FIG. 2, to detennine her exact measurement. Keeping her finger on the spot of the tape where the flat ring touched, she would remove the tape and apply the particular sticker to that point of the tape that corresponded to the dimension involved. For example, at the hip area, she would apply the hip sticker so that the edge of the sticker would be precisely over the point indicated for skintight with the remainder of the sticker applied in a direction away from the ring 12.

In assembling the tape, the user would apply the areas in step-by-step fashion as each dimension is measured on her actual figure so that the particular woman would come up with a tape, such as shown generally in FIG. 3, which would be personal to her and would represent what corresponds to her particular dimensions.

When she thereafter set about the task of making a garment, for example a dress, from a commercial pattern, she would first assemble the pattern by pinning it together at each dimension as if it had been stitched. For example, in FIG. 4 she might first pin the two pattern halves 26 and 28 at the hipline. Then she would fold the tape in half as it was on her body, with the free edge of the slip ring at the edge of the sticker, as shown in FIG. 4. She would then place the folded edge of the tape at the center front of the pattern and lay the other end-the sticker and slip ring end-toward the center back seam. The location of the colors of the selected area-which color falls on the center or back stitching linewill tell the user the pattern is safe, or troublesome, or what have you.

The stickers have the average ease that pattern makers use when making patterns, but divided in half. As is known, a pattern maker will lay out a pattern oversized, not skintight. The amount of oversize is normally measured in inches and referred to as ease. The amount of ease for any particular dimension is fairly standard. For example, the case is normally 4 inches for the bust, 2 inches for the waist, hip, etc.- Consider the hip area for the moment where the standard ease is 2 inches. The initial edge 32 of the hip area 18 would be directly on the skintight dimension and the 2 inches of ease for the hip area would be applied to the hip sticker, one-half or 1 inch from the initial edge 32 to the center 34 ofthe correct area so that the distance designated 36 in FIG. 3 would correspond to one-half of the ease. Since the dimension from the center line 34 of the correct area to the trailing edge 38 would be the same as the distance 36, the ease would be halved by folding. Thus the correlation of the normal amount of ease found in dress patterns to the linear distance along each area is important.

I have referred in most cases to the procedure being carried out by a woman since making clothing and apparrel at home is carried out by the female of the species. But, it should be understood that a man, of course, could use the device and method. Also, I have referred in most cases to the garment being a dress, but it should be understood that any suitable clothing can be made from a pattern, such as slacks, shorts, etc.

Also, both sides of the tape may be used in FIG. 3 and it will be noted that the bust area is on the opposite side from the hip area. The advantage of this is because the bust and hips normally measure about the same, and these areas may be back-to-back, or approximately so, on the tape. To have them on the same side could be inconvenient, crowded and difficult.

I claim:

1. A fitting aid for checking clothing patterns against a human figure including an elongated tape with a plurality of defined adhesively backed stickers adhering thereto along the length thereof, each sticker being related to a pertinent dimension on the human figure and being divided into a plurality of defined subareas with the center subarea corresponding to the desired dimension of a human figure and the adjacent sub-areas on each side of the center subarea corresponding to certain tolerances, the stickers being placed on said tape at a predetermined distance from one end of the tape indicating the dimension of a measured area, whereafter the tape is compared with a dress pattern to determine if said pattern is the correct size for the person being measured.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the subareas are of different colors so sizing can be quickly detected.

3. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that the dimensioning of the subareas is related to the normal ease applied to dress patterns for each pertinent dimension on the human fi ure.

. The structure of Clair?! 1 further characterized by and including a flat slip ring on one end of the tape in spaced relation to the stickers.

5. The structure of claim 1 further characterized by and including stickers on each side of the tape.

6. A kit for making a fitting aid for use in checking clothing patterns against the human figure including an elongated tape, a plurality of defined adhesively backed stickers adapted to be applied along the length of the tape and secured thereto, each sticker being related to a pertinent dimension on the human figure and being divided into a plurality of defined subareas with the center subarea corresponding to the desired dimension of the human figure andthe adjacent subarea on each side of the center subarea corresponding to certain tolerances, the stickers are placed on said tape at a predetermined distance from one end of the tape indicating the dimension of a measured area, whereafter the tape is compared with a dress pattern to determine if said pattern is the correct size for the person being measured.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the subareas are of different colors so sizing can be quickly detected.

8. The structure of claim 6 further characterized in that the dimensioning of the subareas is related to the normal ease applied to dress patterns for each pertinent dimension on the human figure.

9. The structure of claim 6 further characterized by and including a flat slip ring on one end of the tape in spaced relation to the stickers. 

1. A fitting aid for checking clothing patterns against a human figure including an elongated tape with a plurality of defined adhesively backed stickers adhering thereto along the length thereof, each sticker being related to a pertinent dimension on the human figure and being divided into a plurality of defined subareas with the center subarea corresponding to the desired dimension of a human figure and the adjacent sub-areas on each side of the center subarea corresponding to certain tolerances, the stickers being placed on said tape at a predetermined distance from one end of the tape indicating the dimension of a measured area, whereafter the tape is compared with a dress pattern to determine if said pattern is the correct size for the person being measured.
 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the subareas are of different colors so sizing can be quickly detected.
 3. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that the dimensioning of the subareas is related to the normal ease applied to dress patterns for each pertinent dimension on the human figure.
 4. The structure of claim 1 further characterized by and including a flat slip ring on one end of the tape in spaced relation to the stickers.
 5. The structure of claim 1 further characterized by and including stickers on each side of the tape.
 6. A kit for making a fitting aid for use in checking clothing patterns against the human figure including an elongated tape, a plurality of defined adhesively backed stickers adapted to be applied along the length of the tape and secured thereto, each sticker being related to a pertinent dimension on the human figure and being divided into a plurality of defined subareas with the center subarea corresponding to the desired dimension of the human figure and the adjacent subarea on each side of the center subarea corresponding to certain tolerances, the stickers are placed on said tape at a predetermined distance from one end of the tape indicating the dimension of a measured area, whereafter the tape is compared with a dress pattern to determine if said pattern is the correct size for the person being measured.
 7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the subareas are of different colors so sizing can be quickly detected.
 8. The structure of claim 6 further characterized in that the dimensioning of the subareas is related to the normal ease applied to dress patterns for each pertinent dimension on the human figure.
 9. The structure of claim 6 further characterized by and including a flat slip ring on one end of the tape in spaced relation to the stickers. 